This invention relates to a conveyor for carrying out elongated castings such as pipes, bars and lines from casting molds and also to a centrifugal casting system that incorporates such conveyer therein.
A typical elongated casting conveyor is disclosed in Japan Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 63-16846. FIG. 7 shows a prior-art elongated casting carrier for drawing and conveying castings from a casting mold. This conventional casting carrier 105 includes a drawing unit 113, which in turn comprises a winch 111, a wire 107 and an oval engaging board 109 attached to a free end of the wire 107. When the engaging board 109 is placed in a casting 103, the oval surface of the engaging board 109 opposite the wire 107 inserted in the casting 103 first. Also, the engaging board 109 is inserted in the casting 103 while maintaining the major axis of the engaging board 109 at an oblique angle to the axis of the casting 103. Portions of the edges of the engaging board 109 are then engaged with the inner surface of the casting 103. At this step, the wire 107 is wound up by the winch 111 to draw the casting 103 from a casting mold 101 onto a level roller conveyor 115. Then, the casting 103 is axially carried off by the roller conveyor 115. This conventional casting carrier 105 is also provided with a conveyor height controller (not shown) for controlling the height of the roller conveyor 115.
This type of casting carrier has several disadvantages. For instance, continuous casting without interruption is not possible if this type of casting carrier is used in combination with a casting system having a multiple centrifugal casting molds. The process must be interrupted because an operator has to lift a freshly drawn casting from the conveyor to a stocker before another casting can be drawn from the casting mold, thus causing an interruption of the operation.
Also, a casting which has just been drawn from a mold tends to be too hot to handle safely, and has to be allowed to cool down before an operator can sling the casting to lift it with a crane. This again causes a considerable delay in the operation.
Moreover, when the engaging board 109 is engaged with the inner surface of the casting 103, the right-angled edges of the engaging board 109 are pressed hard at the inner surface, which tends to damage the engaging portion of the inner surface.